A Coach Operator's Views of
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The Contract Question
By
Joseph Keeling
Secretary, Yorkshire Coach Owners, Ltd.
IN examining the question of contract work, I have held over 20 meetings of coach operators in various parts of the Yorkshire Traffic Area—not only members of Yorkshire Coach Owners, Ltd., but 'others—with a view to testing, as thoroughly as possible, the opinions on this subject. After holding these meetings, which were well attended, I am quite clear in my mind as to what should be regarded as contract Work. First a all let me indicate what I hold to be and not to be a special occasion for the purposes of contract work. A trip organized, say, by a guild or a choir can be considered to be a special occasion if it be confined to members, if the fares be paid from funds raised during the year by means of bazaars and other sources, and if it be not an annual event.
It is not, however, a special 'occasion when individual fares are paid and when the outing is not confined strictly to members. Again, I consider that a work-people's outing is a special occasion only if the employer pays for the whole of the trip, if the party be composed solely of his employees, and if it be not an annual event.
If employees be allowed to bring their wives or friends and individual fares are paid, it ceases to be contract work and should be operated under licence.
Obvious Contract Work.
Apart from such transport work as that in connection with weddings and funerals, which obviously falls within the contract category, there is-another class of operation that I would permit to come within this sphere. The case I have in mind is one in which a party of friends, or a large family, hires a coach for a day's outing, for some specific reason that makes the occasion a special one. The fact that some members, of the party may pay separate fares does not necessarily exclude it from the contract class.
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I realize that if my definition be adhered to only about 10 per cent. of the work at present carried out comes under the heading of "contract," but this state of affairs would be much welcomed by the excursion and tour operator.
• Owing to the fact that the stagecarriage and express-service concerns have compelled him to forgo certain rights, such as that of taking passengers to the seaside during one week and fetching them back in the next week, the scope of the excursion and tour operatoris definitely limited. But not so the stagecarriage and express service operators.
Since the inception of the Road Traffic Act, these two classes of passenger-transport concern have found that, under, the guise of contract work, they have been able to transport parties as a whole at rates so drastically cut that, during the week—when the large companies have been able to flood the market with their spare service vehicles, used on so-called contract work—it has been almost impossible for the excursion and tour operator to obtain custom.
Buses Run for bd. a Mile.
A representative of a large Yorkshire stage-carriage undertaking has stated openly that he could run his 32-seater buses on certain days, during the week, for as little as 6d. per mile.
Let us review the position and see who is responsible for the pricecutting evil. When the coach superseded the horse-drawn brake, we operators obtained as much as 15s. to *1 -per passenger on day excursions on such routes as from Leeds to Scarborough, Bridlington or Blackpool. This happy state of affairs continued until the large stage-carriage concerns came along to cut existing coach rates by, in some instances, as much as 40 per cent.
The stage-carriage operators claimed, of course, that, as they were running daily services, they must compete with the railway companies. This, I contend, is the root of the price-cutting evil. The trouble is between the railway companies and the large bus organizations, which, in many cases, are 50 per cent. railway owned.
The excursion and tour operator is not to blame. I have authority to state that Yorkshire Coach Owners, Ltd., an association with a membership of 157 operators, running over 1,000 vehicles, is willing to afford the railway companies a reasonable protection (say, 10-15 per cent.) on fares for all services, and to let the public decide on merit between road and rail transport.
To return to the subject of contract work, at the Traffic Commissioner's sittings, the large bus companies argue that coach excursion fares are not economic, and do not afford sufficient protection to the stage-carriage operator. Yet, whilst this argument has been put forward with great emphasis, one can hire a bus as a whole from the large companies at such a low price that the equivalent fare per passenger is less; than half the charge that the stagecarriage, express-carriage or excursion and tour operator seeks to make. The bus thus hired is, a course, a so-called contract vehicle.
Each to His Own Sphere.
Let the stage and express-carriage concerns have their services, but, in turn, the big companies must refrain from taking the excursion "plums "—particularly during the week—and not endeavour to force us out of business by abusing the " contract " clause in the Road Traffic Act.
That clause was included in the Act for a particular purpose, and, if it be properly observed, we have no need to fear that the large bus companies can take away our livelihood by undercutting excursion fares under the guise of contract work. The contract clause is, in my opinion, the salvation of the excursion and tour market.
If it were possible to widen its scope—as the bus companies would have it widened--the excursion and tour operator would have to abandon his business, and leave the larger organizations with a clear field, With regard to operating those excursions and tours hitherto classed as contract work, I have proposed to the Yorkshire Regional Fares Committee, on behalf of my Association, a scheme which provides that all operators who hold excursion and tour licences should be permitted to pick up pre-booked parties at any point within a radius of three miles from their licensed starting points.
If the picking-up point be not already on his licensed route, the operator shall apply to the Traffic Commissioners, immediately he has booked the work, for permission to vary the route so that he can start from the particular point at which his party wishes to be picked up.
This arrangement would still give the Commissioners the control that they desire, and would allow us to cater for the public as we have done in the past.